Amateur-built RUTAN LONG EZ accident near Independence, Oregon, September 19, 2018
On September 19, 2018 at about 2:23 pm local time, a 1996 amateur-built RUTAN LONG EZ, registered N5RJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Independence, Oregon (Independence State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 2018 · about 2:23 pm local time
- Place
- Independence, Oregon · Independence State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RUTAN LONG EZ No Series, built 1996
- Registration
- N5RJ · registry record · serial 739
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in the experimental, amateur-built airplane reported that, during his third touch-and-go landing, the airplane's airspeed was fast and that it landed hard. The airplane's nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane exited the right side of the runway. The airplane cartwheeled and came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 1, 2016
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 628 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 19, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,325 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 628 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7S5 Independence OR at 2:00 pm
- Destination: 7S5 Independence OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,142 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from KSLE, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 1, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.